


Boundaries

by jeejaschocolate



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Character Study, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Incest, Lightning Returns Spoilers, Loosely defined setting, Multi, Past Underage, Post-Game(s), Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 17:24:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/pseuds/jeejaschocolate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of Serah and Snow's wedding, Lightning feels like she's about to lose everything. Luckily, Serah knows a way to work it all out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This, my first attempt in the Final Fantasy fandom, started as a way to work through all my feelings about finally finishing the FFXIII series (after haha over four years). Playing those games I realized that the only way I was going to make those characters come to life was if I started writing fanfiction about them. Beyond that, I really needed to work out this OT3 ship after the last game. And then it was the only thing that mattered! This story started as a short one-shot PWP and got totally out of hand. 
> 
> So, it's a post-game fic because I wanted a way to talk about everything that happens between them in series, but the setting is a loosely defined "new world" because....meh, who cares. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Lightning was alone. She knew that much. Loneliness, in all honesty, had suited her very well over the years. No matter what title she bore--Guardian Corps solider, l’Cie, warrior of the goddess, the Savior--she always ended up alone.  
  
And there was nothing wrong with that. She wore her loneliness like a cloak, a garb to protect her against the harsh reality of desires unfulfilled, desires she had kept silent and hidden for a long time now. For practical reasons.  
  
Now Lightning sat alone on a sandy shore. This was a beach she had found by mistake one day, simply exploring the local sights as she was wont to do these days. Then she stumbled upon a small but sightly beach that seemed relatively undiscovered by the locals, no swimmers or surfers to speak of, only the occasional jogger. It reminded her of Bodhum, or at least what she had wished Bodhum was like. There had always been too many people around for Lightning to really enjoy that paradisiacal shore.  
  
She sat in the sand, her blue crystalline eyes looking out at the water. The sun had just begun to set. It was a beautiful sight, to be sure, and she relished the fact that she was alone to enjoy it.  
  
Three days. She sighed. Three days until her sister married Snow and they began their married life together. It was a long time coming, several centuries and reality shifts after the original engagement. But even though Lightning had long since given her official blessing, the idea of Serah getting married still cut her to the quick.  
  
She had learned to hide it, the burning jab in her core, like being cut with a Reaver’s blade every time the reality hit her that Snow and Serah were getting married. She had even learned to smile, to look at Serah like she was happy for her and to look at Snow like was a man worthy of her sister. And, in truth, she was happy for them. They seemed to be working couple. Snow had long since proved his loyalty to Serah and Lightning respected him for that. It was a good match, anyone could see that.  
  
But still. Lightning could do nothing about the way she felt. She had always felt this way, ever since she could remember: Serah belonged to her. Only her. She was the one that had always protected her, shielded her from any hardship after their parents died, fought falCie and God Himself to bring her back. Lightning loved Serah the most out of anything in the world. She would do anything for her. And even though she knew it was wrong, the idea of Serah marrying someone else felt like losing her all over again.  
  
Lightning sighed. She could not forget the past, could not forget what it was like between her and Serah back then.  
  
It had started so long ago. Back when they were teenagers, just on the cusp of discovering themselves as young women. Lightning took care of Serah by putting food on the table as an errand girl for the local Guardian Corps division. During the day, Serah worked hard in school (Lightning remembered the uniform down to the last detail, even though the memory made her cheeks redden) and Lightning would work herself into the ground following orders from the higher-ups. Fetch this, deliver that. Beyond that she still found time for personal training, dreaming of the day when she would enlist herself.  
  
Lightning would come home at night bone tired, ready to collapse in the shanty she shared with Serah. And Serah always prepared some dinner, something modest...the best food Lightning could ever remember eating. When she had eaten and showered, the next thing Lightning always did was to lie down next to Serah in the small bed the two of them shared (one bed had seemed practical at the time, why waste money on two when they barely had the space for one after all...). No matter how tired she was, Lightning would always take care to ease herself down on the mattress so she would not disturb her sister.  
  
And then there was...that other thing. Lightning had taken care never to give words to it. But it had started as a feeling, a slight pull in her chest driving her to look at Serah and really look at her. So there, in the tiny twin bed, Lightning first remembered being drawn to her sister. She would stare at her and take note of every detail, every small innocent feature on her beautiful sister’s face and...body...Lightning always tried to avert her eyes when they trailed downward to Serah’s blossoming breasts. But eventually, when the pull became a kindling fire within her, Lightning found that she could not look away.  
  
At the time, Lightning thought she was a monster. She and Serah were close in age, but still, what kind of person would look that way at their own sister? Lightning would always punish herself especially hard the next day during training whenever she felt that particular keening at night.  
  
Yet, Serah was the only person who really understood Lightning. She never judged Lightning for being so outwardly cold (even as a young girl) to the people around her. Serah understood that that coldness stemmed from a deep fear of trusting, that Lightning had buried her ability to relate to people under a blanket of stoicism because she did want to leave herself open to the pain of being betrayed. Not that Lightning had ever been betrayed, not really, though she had lost both her parents. She was simply a creature who wanted nothing to do with the complicated personal attachments that came with making friends and opening up to people. She preferred to rely on herself only, and Serah understood that. Lightning covered all her bases, always.  
  
Except in this one thing with Serah. Lightning could not control herself, she realized. Serah was so unbelievably beautiful, even for a girl her age, and the sight of her held so much meaning for Lightning. Serah was her only family, her tethering rope to the rest of humanity. Her face was a sight that burrowed itself into Lightning’s brain and into her very soul. Not to mention the fact that Serah was the only person who really cared about Lightning since they had been orphaned. They only had each other to rely on, and Lightning would do anything to keep her sister safe, as safe as she felt laying next to her at night.  
  
Finally there came a night when Lightning found herself looking at Serah again, that particular fire burning its way through Lightning’s chest and downward, filling her with some kind of need she had never known before. Without realizing it, Lightning brushed her hand along Serah’s cheek...and, oh. The feel of that tender, silky skin under her hand made Lightning absolutely tremble. She felt tingling and wetness in a place that Lightning barely ever thought about, a private place that had come to life all of a sudden. Her eyes threatened to close but she could not give up the tantalizing sight of her sister even briefly, so she held them open. Her hand, knowing what to do on its own, travelled down Serah’s face to her neck, then her shoulder, then her collarbone, then...  
  
With a quiet moan, Serah woke up. Lightning pulled her hand back as if burned. She had touched her sister, she realized, in a way that Serah probably found disgusting...but then Serah turned her face towards Lightning with a small smile. There was a glint in the young girl’s eyes as if she had always known, but there was no surprise or disgust. Then, Serah simply grasped Lightning’s hand and guided it back towards her body to rest against the place Lightning’s exploration had left off.  
  
Her hand lightly cupped Serah’s small breast. Both sisters sighed in relief. It seemed Serah had wanted the same thing but been too afraid to ask. Lightning smiled, a rare thing indeed, and leaned in closer to kiss Serah on the lips as she had seen adults do in passing. In that moment, everything shifted into clarity. Her sister’s lips were perfect, the taste and feel of everything she had ever desired. Lightning’s hands moved on their own to explore the rest of her sister, soft moans escaping both of them at times.  
  
When Serah found her release against Lightning’s hand, the world seemed to turn to crystal, as if that moment would last forever as their final act alive. But of course time continued passing, even though Lightning kept her hand in that gloriously lush place on her sister, testing her pliancy until Serah turned shy.  
  
That night, Serah and Lightning began a secret relationship that would last many years. Time wore on, they grew up. Lightning did eventually enlist. She was successful in the Guardian Corps, of course, and they could afford a real house, real niceties...things like two beds and separate rooms...though either of them would find an excuse to sneak into each other’s rooms (there was hardly a need to sneak, but it still felt like a clandestine affair) and entwine together for some comfort at the end of a long day.  
  
Lightning eventually gave up feeling guilty. Serah seemed the same, possibly even happier, with their unspoken arrangement. If this was a way she could make Serah happy, not to mention the sheer joy Lightning herself felt when her body was pressed up against Serah’s, then so be it. In her mind, Lightning thought they could live that way forever.  
  
Then...Snow. That oaf had come bounding into their lives like an idiot on a motorcycle, crashing everything the sisters had set so carefully into place. At least that’s how Lightning saw it. She knew the story probably went a little differently from Serah’s perspective.  
  
But still, Lightning remembered everything as she herself had experienced it. She first met Snow over a random, unrelated matter, something to do with NORA. Snow and his gang had crossed the line with something, stepped into Guardian Corps territory and Lightning had had to deal with that band of idiots herself. Snow in particular stood out, a dumbass in a greasy trench-coat with a bandana wrapped around his head like he wanted to look foolish on purpose. That hulking body and the way he staggered around giving orders...even worse was that his group seemed unwaveringly loyal to him. What had that man (well, kid in a man’s body) ever done to deserve their devotion?  
  
After that irritating incident, NORA had landed itself on the Guardian Corps’ radar, and Lightning ran into Snow a few more times. She hated him on principal. He was rash, undisciplined, good natured to a fault, and absolutely in love with himself---basically everything Lightning hated about people in general. Plus there was the habit Snow had of holding up his thumb and winking at Lightning whenever he saw her, as if he was doing her some kind of big favor! He made her skin crawl.  
  
So, she was completely at a loss when one day she found Snow in the middle of her dining room holding hands with Serah. On her birthday, no less. Serah had shielded her face from Lightning, keeping her hand wrapped around a bandage on the top of her arm while Snow explained that the two of them were engaged and asking for Lightning’s blessing in marriage.  
  
The world as she knew it came crashing down around Lightning. Her face felt burning hot but she could not feel the rest of her body at all. Marriage? Serah and...this idiot? But...Serah couldn’t get married. Serah was already taken!    
  
Then the reality hit her, the crystal shattering around the dream she had built her life upon ever since the first time she slept with her sister. Serah was not taken, Serah was a young single woman who had caught the eye of a man and accepted his offer. Lightning felt betrayed for a moment, then entirely sad. She realized that Serah had never been hers, never something she owned but still something she had coveted.  
  
When the sadness settled deep into her core, Lightning turned her hatred onto Snow. She hated him so completely for being the man that had enamored her sister, him of all people! No doubt Snow was the epitome of manliness, many young women talked about him like that, but that only made Lightning hate him even more. He had beaten her with the fact of his gender, such an obvious expression of masculinity that he was, and with the fact that he was everything Lightning was not.  
  
So naturally, Lightning had scorned them both. Serah cried and Snow ran after her in angry confusion, but Lightning descended into numbness. She looked upon the blade Serah had given her as a gift and realized that she would have to keep on living even though her reasons were gone.  
  
What Snow did not know was that Serah came back to Lightning that night. If only briefly. She walked through the front door like it was a normal evening and approached Lightning with a tearstained face.  
  
“You have to accept me and Snow,” Serah declared, arms crossed in front of her chest, her tone demanding in a way that Lightning had never heard before.  
  
“I don’t have to do anything.” Lightning would never accept this willingly, she told herself.  
  
Serah’s brow furrowed in uncharacteristic anger. “Why can’t you see that this is what I want? Why are you treating me like this?!”  
  
Her sister was yelling now. So, Lightning brought down her tone and spoke in a low voice.  
  
“Wasn’t I enough for you?” Lightning asked the question point blank.  
  
Serah stopped. This was the only time they had ever spoken out loud about what they did together. Serah opened and closed her mouth a few times in disbelief. Her face reddened as if she was embarrassed.  
  
“That’s not....” Serah stammered. “It’s...” She closed her eyes against a stream of tears that fell anyway.  
  
Then, without warning Serah turned away from Lightning and ran out the door. That was the last time Lightning saw her before she was crystalized in Anima’s chambers. So much happened after that.  
  
Needless to say, the journey had not been easy on any of them. Lightning fought as if she had lost Serah twice, and she had to do it with Snow at her side to boot. Still, as much as Lightning hated to admit it at the time, she got to know Snow better. Fighting Pulse monsters and fal’Cie together had taken its effect. She realized that Snow was mostly the same person she thought he was, except for the fact that he really did love her sister and he was an honestly good person at heart. He acted a fool inadvertently, but Lightning realized that was mostly due to a lack of confidence. He wanted to be so great and a lot of the time he did not live up to his own expectations. So Snow actually had something of an innocent ego crisis, Lightning realized with a softening heart. He wasn’t the perfect man everyone thought he was and even Snow had come to understand that. After that, Lightning found herself begrudgingly accepting the part of Snow that wanted to be a hero, even though she still wanted to set fire to that trench-coat and bandana.  
  
Happiness for l’Cie, even former l’Cie, is brief. Lightning had been forced to sacrifice Serah in the hopes that it would stop the destruction of time, but time was destroyed anyway and Serah was lost. Knowing that Serah was dead had been the most painful thing Lightning had ever experienced. She could not fully remember that pain, as it was something she had repressed for so long when she was in crystal.  
  
When Lightning ran into Snow again, this time in Yusnaan, their relationship with each other was entirely different. Snow had completely changed. He was thinner now and wore clothes that actually accentuated his build and made him look disturbingly attractive (Lighting had actually caught herself looking at him, much to her own disappointment in herself). Beyond that, Snow had lost the guise of the dauntless hero entirely. He was no longer a kid playing at being a grown up, he wasn’t even an innocent anymore. He was a harrowed man tormented by his own guilt.  
  
And Lightning had been entirely sympathetic then. She even felt guilty in a way because she blamed herself for Serah’s death and therefore the destruction of Snow in turn.  
  
When they fought, she found herself impressed by him, yielding to his blows and softening her own so that she would not kill him. He was strangely...beautiful, she noticed, lost to his own emotions and lashing out at her with everything he had. The fight ended and Lightning won, of course, but instead of gloating or feeling sorry for him, Lightning found that she only wanted to embrace Snow. She wanted to give over the part of herself that hated everything about the way things were and to feel his realness against her own. She also wanted him back the way he was, the hero. For no reason other than simply because his new self was too broody. It didn’t suit him. If she could see Snow back to his old self, Lightning realized she might even love him...  
  
But all that was nonsense, she told herself. None of that came to pass. She propped Snow up and had him back on his feet running things in Yusnaan as their proprietor. (Even at the end of the world the guy had people fawning over him. So annoying.) As far as Lightning was concerned, that was good riddance because she never wanted to address what she had felt for Snow in that moment, even if the feeling had never entirely gone away.  
  
The sun completely set where Lightning sat on the beach. Her muscles had begun to feel cramped so she stood and stretched briefly.  
  
If nothing else, she could be thankful that they had all made it out alive and safe. Serah had come back to her, even embraced her where she stood. When they stood in this new world that had been made for them and Lightning could really feel her sister again, every step of the journey seemed worth it. Tears had sprung to her eyes--Serah even smelled the same as she remembered. It was wonderful.  
  
So here they were. It was the natural way of things. Serah and Snow had officially declared their wedding back on once everything was settled. The blessed event would take place in three days.  
  
That knowledge left Lightning feeling more dejected than she could ever remember. Now that she finally had Serah back, after whole centuries, she had to give her up forever to her sister’s commitment to Snow.  
  
She would lose her, and Snow as well. Lightning would lose both of them. To each other, ironically.  
  
The moon had risen in the sky, telling Lightning that the day was over and now there were only two days left. She felt the same finality she had felt in the Nova Chrysalis, knowing that the world would end in thirteen days. This time there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could not in good conscience raise her objections to the wedding now, not after everything they had been through together. It would seem like meanness.  
  
But in a way Lightning felt like being mean. She had begun to feel bitterness seep into her being. She was bitter against the idea that there was no one left for her to embrace. No one left to embrace her. Since when did she want those things? She had always been strong enough on her own....but then, it was true, she had always wanted to be held. The memory of Serah’s embrace prickled against her skin, feeding the bitterness further.  
  
Hunching her shoulders against the cool night air, Lightning began the walk to her small house. At least there she could just go to sleep and forget everything for a while.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
Serah stretched as she awoke from a comfortable sleep. Two days until the wedding! There were a lot of preparations left, but Serah was far from worried. The ceremony would be small, just their closest friends. Let it be what it was.  
  
The young woman went about her morning routine in the usual way. Snow ambled around next to her. They had already begun living together because who really cared anymore. She wished that Lightning would also live with them...  
  
Which brought up the subject that had really been on her mind lately. Lightning had seemed so depressed recently. She tried to hide it, but Serah knew. Serah could read Lightning’s heart and mind so easily. There had never been any boundaries between the two of them. Or so she liked to think...  
  
Serah flipped her ponytail behind her in frustration. She knew why Lightning was upset. The wedding, obviously. Lightning felt like she would be left behind after Serah married Snow--an idea that was honestly laughable to Serah herself. She would never abandon Lightning, never condemn her sister to live on the outside of a family Serah wanted so desperately. Nor would she get rid of Snow. That man, she had come to realize, loved her more than anyone ever should love someone and she felt just the same for him.  
  
Without a doubt, Serah remembered what it had been like between her and Lightning growing up. Lightning was her first lover, of course, and she held those times they had been together so close to her heart. Those memories, Lightning pinning her beneath her toned body and covering every inch of Serah with her adoring mouth and hands...Serah shivered inside every time she thought about it, even if she had been embarrassed to admit any of that at the time.  
  
But Serah was no longer the young girl who had fled in shame and confusion when Lightning confronted her about the feelings between them. Serah had been through her own journey, through time and space, and she now refused to run from anything--especially the truth, which was staring her in the face.  
  
Serah was in love with her sister and her boyfriend at the same time. She had no intention of letting either of them go, and as far as she was concerned, she did not have to.  
  
“Saw Lightning yesterday,” Snow murmured suddenly. He was in the middle of putting his boots on, but his face was clouded with worry. “She seemed so sad. Pissed, even, I would say.”  
  
Serah nodded in response. Snow’s comment had reminded her that she needed to have a serious conversation with Snow to let him know exactly what the situation was and what Serah wanted from him.  
  
“Don’t know what it could be about...” Snow started, obviously fishing for an explanation from Serah. He knew that Serah had an intuition about her sister that permeated all of Lightning’s defenses.  
  
Serah took one deep breath to steel herself. She had fought dragons and stared into the face of chaos itself. This was easy! She turned to her fiancée.  
  
“Snow, I have to tell you about...well...” Serah stumbled for a moment.  
  
For his part, Snow looked on interestedly. His piercing blue eyes shone without a hint of judgement and Serah knew then, as she had always known, that she could trust him with anything. She could trust him with all of herself.  
  
Serah began again. “I have to tell you about what it was like between me and Lightning when we were kids. About who we were--well, are--to each other.”  
  
“Alright,” Snow replied, shrugging his shoulders in good humor. His thought were plain on his face, what could it be that he didn’t already know?  
  
Serah remained steady. “And I have to tell you how it’s going to be from now on.”  
  
At that, Snow’s face turned serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continue on to Chapter 2!


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here our characters come to an understanding.

Lightning was not all that surprised when she got an invitation to dinner over at Serah’s and Snow’s place. It was probably something to do with the wedding, some ceremony they wanted her to be a part of. Lightning shuddered at the thought of something cheesy or overly warm. But, whatever Serah wanted Lightning would oblige. And the dinner? Painful to say the least, but she would sit through it and talk and nod with an understanding smile. Like a good soldier.  
  
Gathering herself one last time, Lightning knocked on the door to Serah and Snow’s modest home. She heard a happy padding of feet that could only mean Serah was on her way to the door, and Lightning perked a little at thought of seeing her. No matter how painful the dinner was, at least she would get to see her sister for a little while, and such visits were precious---  
  
When Serah opened the door, Lightning’s entire face went slack with wonder and surprise. Her heart began hammering a rhythm in her chest and Lightning felt a particular keening rush throughout her body, settling firmly between her legs.  
  
The dress Serah wore was unbelievable. A deep purple that brought out Serah’s fair skin in a marvelous way. Not only that, the fabric of the dress hung around Serah’s shoulders and hips in strips of material. The way the strips crisscrossed and fought for dominance against her skin reminded Lightning of so many hands wrapped around her dear sister’s waist and arms, begging for contact, searching for warmth... To top it all off, the front of the dress had a plunging v-neck that accentuated every part of Serah’s full-grown chest, a crystal necklace hanging against of the valley of flesh laid bare.  
  
If this had been years ago, Lightning would have had to touch her sister right then. Run a hand across her face, stroke her shoulder, caress her hip, anything just to feel her. But as it was, Lightning did not dare lay a hand on Serah for fear that she would then want too much, things that she could not have.  
  
So, Lightning clenched her hands into fists at her sides and willed herself to speak words instead. “You look...amazing....” she breathed.  
  
Serah seemed to shimmer under the compliment. Her face shone with confident happiness, a look Lightning had gotten used to seeing on her sister after everything they’d been through.  
  
A sudden thought struck Lightning. She gasped, “Was this a formal dinner? I’m sorry, I’m not dressed--”  
  
“No, not at all!” Serah assured her, waving her hand against the idea. “You know me, I just like to dress up sometimes.”  
  
That was actually not like Serah at all and Lightning knew it, but she decided it did not mean anything. Maybe this was yet another new side to Serah...only the gods knew how many strange outfits Lightning had worn over the course of her journey as the Savior...  
  
“Come on inside! Dinner’s been ready, Snow and I were waiting for you.” With that, Serah flounced inside. Lightning forced herself not to look at Serah’s delightful backside in that dress, but her eyes cut to the sight anyway. She felt another pang of longing and cursed herself for giving in.  
  
Serah led the way to the dinner table which showcased a variety of simple but pleasing foods, a few of Lightning’s personal favorites of Serah’s cooking. Knowing that she would get to partake in some of these things now warmed her soldier’s heart with a twinge of nostalgia.  
  
“This looks like a lot of work, Serah,” Lightning said guiltily. “You really shouldn’t have...”  
  
“No, no.” Serah looked back at her sister and smiled, carrying a pitcher of water to the table. “Why not indulge a little? Things are easy for us right now.”  
  
That flippant attitude was definitely out of character for Serah. Hard to miss, in fact. Was Snow’s irresponsibleness beginning to rub off on her sister?  
  
“I suppose...” Lightning responded vaguely, her eyes searching the room. “Where’s Snow?”  
  
“Right here!” Snow walked confidently out of a side room, still buttoning his shirt. Lightning could not help but notice that it was a black button up, tailored at the waist...rather similar to the outfit he had worn in Yusnaan...  
  
“What’s the matter, Light? You worried the life of the party wouldn’t show up?” Snow asked, his usual cocky grin plastered all over his face. At least he had dropped the habit of winking and giving her the thumbs up, and even the grin was less obnoxious than she remembered. Snow was still the man she knew in Yusnaan, thankfully...  
  
She cleared her throat. Not that it mattered.  
  
“I wasn’t worried, hero,” Lightning replied with a smile. “You always know how to crash a party.”  
  
“Crash? Come on, I live here!” Snow bellowed out a laugh, clearly in good spirits. Lightning could not help but be relieved to see him like that, but she cut the thought there.  
  
“Sit down, guys,” Serah called. Snow responded eagerly and they both went and joined her at the table.  
  
They began taking portions of the food in front of them, Lightning trying not to look too eager as she tucked in. Truthfully, she found it hard to keep up with feeding herself these days, after spending so much time as the Savior never feeling hunger. Now she remembered to eat only when she got dizzy, but it was not nearly enough. So this meal, though light, was beyond glorious to Lightning’s starved palate.  
  
“This is delicious,” Lightning said, forcing herself to stop for a moment. “Thank you for cooking all this, Serah.”  
  
Serah smiled knowingly. “Well, Snow helped a bit.”  
  
Lightning turned to the man in shock. He was smiling and nodding as he ate. “Yes indeed!” he said. “But I think I might have made more of a mess than anything...”  
  
“Nonsense,” said Serah, shaking her head. “He made this, and this, and this one too.” She pointed to all the dishes Snow had cooked.  
  
Lightning was floored. Snow had made food that was edible? Since when could the man do that? Not only that, she had relished everything he made! The thought that Snow was capable of creating something delicious hit a soft spot within Lightning. She could not say why.  
  
“Impressive, Snow,” Lightning said stoically. “Didn’t think you knew how to do anything with your hands except punch.”  
  
“Oh, I can do a lot more than that,” Snow said, smirking down at his plate.  
  
Lightning froze. What the hell did that mean?  
  
Serah saw Lightning staring at Snow with scrutiny, so she changed the subject. “You know, the wedding’s in two days now. Well, a day from tomorrow, really.”  
  
There it was, the knife in Lightning’s side. Still, here at their house she would force herself to be happy for them. “Yes, I know,” Lightning said tightly. “How could I forget? There’s been so much...planning...” Damn, was that the best she could do?  
  
“The planning’s basically finished now,” Serah replied. Lightning noticed that her sister had barely touched any of her food. She was pushing it around the plate like she used to do when they were kids and something was bothering her. “I think we’re almost ready actually.”  
  
“Almost?” Lightning asked, raising her eyebrows. What was the matter with her sister? Wasn’t this supposed to be the happiest day of her life?  
  
“Yeah.” Serah got up and began clearing plates. Lightning felt slightly disappointed that the meal was over already, but she forgot about that against the worry she felt for whatever was bothering Serah.  
  
Snow helped clean and in no time they were all sitting back down at a completely cleared table.  
  
“So...do you want to go over the ceremony one more time?” Lightning asked. The thought alone made her want to dig her nails into her palm, but she was trying to get at the problem. Serah and Snow had been acting strangely all evening.  
  
“No, that’s...not it.” Serah looked away and shook her head.  
  
Snow got up and sat directly next to Serah. He put one hand on top of hers, resting it on her exposed knee with an easygoing smile. Lightning recognized the look as reassurance.  
  
Serah took a deep breath.  
  
“Lightning, how do you feel about the wedding, really?”  
  
Lightning’s blood ran cold. Had Serah...discovered something? Would Lightning be forced to tell the truth now?  
  
No. She would fight to keep Serah and Snow’s happiness intact, also to remain a part of their lives. They would cast her out if they knew the real truth...  
  
“What...do you mean?” Lightning asked. Her eyes shone cold now, trying to hide the uncertainty and fear she felt. “I’m happy for the both of you, obviously. You guys have waited a long time for this to happen and I...want to see you happy.” No lie there, at least.  
  
Serah sighed. It caught her sister off guard.  
  
“I know you want us to be happy, Light,” Serah said. “But I can’t help feeling like there’s something you’re hiding from us. You’ve been so down lately. And I, well of course I remember the way it was the last time the three of us talked about this...”  
  
“That was different, Serah,” Lightning said firmly. “You know that things were different then, when I first found out.” She had to look away after that. Unfortunately, that comment was too close to the truth and it was making Lightning feel flush.  
  
“Everything was different, yes. But do you feel any differently now, Light? Do you really?” Serah was pressing her sister without mercy.  
  
“O-of course I...” Honestly, what did Serah want her to say? The way she was acting, Serah must have already figured out the truth.  
  
Lightning laid both her palms down on the table in defeat. “What do you want me to say, Serah? Tell me what you want.”  
  
Serah stared at her sister with a fierce expression on her face. This was the face she wore when she shot her arrow for the final blow.  
  
“Snow knows. I already told him everything about us, what we did, and why you were so upset back then.”  
  
Pure shock filtered through Lightning’s senses. She...what? Snow? Her eyes went immediately to him. The man was not laughing, not smiling or gloating. He was simply nodding along in agreement. His face was somehow...unreadable. When was Snow ever hard to read, and why did it have to be now?  
  
Lightning stood up in sudden panic. She slammed her hands on the table and started trying to defend herself. “You...! How could you...? I don’t...why?”  
  
Lightning was honestly trembling now with all the building emotions inside of her. She was ashamed, of course, and she felt betrayed by Serah, the one person she had trusted with her deepest secret, indeed with everything about herself. Why would Serah do this?  
  
“Relax, Light.” Snow’s voice was calm, his usual drawl. “We’re all family here.”  
  
“You’re not my family, you idiot!” Lightning cried. She felt tears prick her eyes. Snow had overstepped his boundaries there, and it broke her.  
  
Without another word, Lightning pushed herself away from the table and began running to the door. She had to get out, to go home to her own space where she could live out the rest of her life in cold, quiet loneliness, the only thing that had never betrayed her...  
  
“Claire, stop!”  
  
Lightning had no choice but to stop when she heard her real name. Serah rushed over and stood directly in front her, closer than they had been in months.  
  
“I didn’t do it to hurt you,” Serah explained. Her face was a mixture of mirrored pain and, Lightning saw, longing. Serah brought her hand up and pressed it lightly against the side of Lightning’s face. “I never wanted to hurt you, Claire. That was never what I wanted. I just...I was afraid then. I didn’t know what I wanted, or what to do once I found it.” Serah started stroking her sister’s face. “Do you understand now? Why I left?”  
  
Lightning stood still, captivated. Serah pressed their foreheads together. Both of their chests heaved with labored breath, full of pent up anxiety and desire.  
  
“Please Claire...I won’t shut you out again. I promise.”  
  
Lightning closed her eyes against the words. She did not know what her sister wanted, or what she was offering, but she would stay by her side until Serah stopped needing her.  
  
“Stay.” Serah whispered the word, barely breathing. “I want you to stay now.”  
  
With that, Serah closed the distance between them and kissed Lightning tenderly on the lips. The solider found herself moaning into the kiss, bringing her hand up to cup Serah’s face as well. Oh, how she had wanted this. In every part of her being. Lightning could feel her skin tingle with excitement all the way from her scalp to her toes. She kissed Serah more deeply and wrapped an arm around her waist without thinking.  
  
The floorboards creaked beside them. The two sisters broke the kiss, remembering that Snow was in the room. Indeed, he was standing right next to them.  
  
Serah looked at Snow bashfully. Lightning wrapped her arm around her sister more tightly, either in protection or to lay her claim to Serah more fiercely.  
  
Snow smiled. “Like I said, it’s all fine here.” He placed his hands on both their shoulders.  
  
Serah broke out into a smile and wrapped her arms around Snow’s neck. Lightning eyed the man suspiciously, but she had to admit it was a far better reaction than she had expected. When Serah was done hugging her fiancée, she turned back to lightning with a broad smile on her face. Lightning’s heart melted to see Serah looking at her like that.  
  
Giggling, Serah kissed Lightning again. As they explored each other’s mouths for the first time in years, Serah slowly began pushing Lightning backwards. For her part, the former solider was completely disoriented, already overstimulated by Serah’s mouth and body against her. So she just let Serah guide her where she wanted.  
  
Serah pushed her sister into the bedroom, which was just across the hall. Once they were inside Serah broke the kiss and led her sister by the hand until they were both sitting on the edge of the bed she shared with Snow.  
  
This was a room Lightning had never seen before, but one she had painfully imagined many times. This was the room where Serah and Snow...  
  
Lightning looked at her sister’s fiancée harshly. He was standing still a ways from the bed watching the two of them with a fascinated expression. Lightning wanted to smack that look off his face, she was starting to feel anxious about how much Snow would see...what he would do...  
  
Sensing Lightning’s agitation, Serah jumped up and straddled her sister’s hips. Lightning groaned at the contact, planting her hands on Serah’s scantily clad waist.  
  
“I wore this dress for you tonight,” Serah whispered in Lightning’s ear. “I just wanted you to notice me again.”  
  
“Oh, I noticed you, Serah.” Lightning ran her hands up and down Serah’s ribs. “I never stopped noticing you.”  
  
Quite pleased with that, Serah bent downwards and laid a kiss against the shell of Lightning’s ear. She began licking and nibbling her way down to the lobe, Lightning shivering unavoidably the whole time. He sister’s mouth was like a flame against her skin, but it felt so good, every touch went straight to the already burning spot between her legs.  
  
Lightning started fingering the straps on Serah’s dress. “I want you out of this so badly...” she confessed.  
  
“Do it.” Serah’s tone was suddenly commanding. Another jolt to Lightning’s groin.  
  
So, Lightning unzipped the back of her sister’s dress and slid it slowly down her body. Serah stood and shimmied her way out of it, coaxing the fabric to ease down to the floor. Lightning watched as if in a trance. The sight of Serah’s bare breasts, fuller than she remembered, and her stomach...the feather-light pubic hair that Lightning dreamed about playing with just as recently as the night before...Serah’s delicate thighs, spreading themselves now to straddle Lightning again... It all felt like another dream.  
  
Lightning clutched Serah’s hips. Here was her sister, naked in her lap like old times. “Oh Serah...” she moaned, giving in at last and showering kisses all over Serah’s neck and chest. She found a nipple in her frenzy, as pink and dusty as she remembered, and began sucking on it almost too fiercely. Serah yelped, surprised but happy to allow Lightning that bit of unbridled joy.  
  
Suddenly the bed sagged backwards and Lightning felt large, rough hands against the back of her neck. She gasped and turned around to see Snow sitting on the bed behind her. He was stroking her neck and gathering her hair to one side.  
  
“Relax, it’s only me,” Snow said with a smile. Something about that smile, the way Lightning felt as if he were seeing her for the first time, set a fire in the pit of her stomach. She felt a distinct pull towards Snow in that moment...she wanted him to keep his hands on her, to know what those hands felt like on other parts of her body...  
  
“Let’s get you out of these clothes.” Snow sounded completely reassuring. He and Serah began divesting Lighting of all her clothing, undoing buttons and clasps, sliding fabric off of her, until Lightning was left only in her bra and panties. She shivered, mostly in anticipation. She knew she should feel more embarrassed, but she didn’t really. Not yet anyway.  
  
Snow undid the clasp of her bra with a practiced hand and Serah pulled the garment away from her, exposing her breasts to the three of them at last. Lightning looked down, Serah was already working on pulling away her panties (completely soaked through as they were)...before she knew it she was naked there, on Serah and Snow’s bed.  
  
Almost angrily, Lightning glared back at Snow to find him running his eyes all over her bare body. She blushed a little, slightly embarrassed to have Snow looking at her so intensely. Serah stood next to her, feathering kisses up and down her shoulder. That touch felt good and it helped her relax.  
  
“You are so beautiful, Light,” Snow whispered. He was looking right into her eyes as he said it. Lightning blushed harder and mumbled something incoherent.  
  
“Now, you can do me,” the man offered, gesturing to his own clothing. Of course Snow would be egalitarian in this as well. Of course. Serah giggled as Lighting clicked her tongue.  
  
The two sisters moved towards Snow. Lightning was immediately drawn to his chest, running her fingers down the buttons in near reverence. She had wanted to do this, to undress Snow, and now she could finally admit it. Quickly, before Snow could notice any lingering, Lightning undid all the buttons and yanked the shirt away from him, not bothering to notice if exactly all of the buttons were undone first.  
  
The sight of Snow’s bare chest was something she had seen before, in Pallumpolum all those years ago, but it was not like this. Snow was less bulky now, yet even more enticing. Lighting ran her hands up and down his chest, relishing how smooth his skin felt against her palms. She felt another spark in her loins, this time all because of Snow.  
  
“There you go. Take your time.” Snow ran the backs of his fingers against Lightning’s throat as he spoke. It was a surprisingly intimate touch and she sighed softly at the feel of it. She hated the way Snow was talking to her like she was a child, but somehow it was not enough to deter her.  
  
Snow continued trailing the backs of his fingers against Lightning’s chest, first sliding his hand down between her breasts, then moving back up to stroke along her left breast. When he brushed her already hard nipple, Lightning hissed and had to bit her lip to stifle a moan that they both heard anyway. Snow smirked even as Lightning glared. She wanted to hit him, almost as much as she wanted him to touch her again, all over this time.  
  
Serah laid kisses the throbbing pulse in Lightning’s neck. She grabbed Lightning’s right breast and massaged the soft flesh with care. The older sister gave into the touch and leaned against her, grabbing a handful of that tantalizing ass that had so tormented Lightning earlier. Serah moaned and continued massaging, even as Snow began brushing Lightning’s left nipple again and again, driving her to shiver and kiss Serah deeply to quiet the sounds each touch wrenched out of her.  
  
This was more attention than Lightning had ever had in her whole life. She was more aroused than she could ever remember being, so much that she was starting to feel dizzy with want. And the unfortunate part was, they had not even really done anything yet.  
  
Eventually, after more teasing touches, Serah guided Lightning to lean back against Snow’s chest. Apparently Serah had found a way to take off Snow’s pants without Lightning noticing because she felt a bare skinned hardness against her back but could not remember looking first. She swallowed in both excitement and agitation at how big that bulge felt against her. She could only imagine what it would feel like in another place...  
  
With Serah in front, Lightning eased against Snow and let her sister explore her body. Eventually Serah began laying kisses downward, kissing her sternum, then her stomach... Lightning felt Snow’s hand as well, his fingertips trailing upwards along her inner thigh. He stopped at the juncture between Lightning’s thigh and pelvis, stroking the sensitive skin right next to where she ached for contact.  
  
Serah kissed down Lightning’s stomach and brought her hand up to tangle in the wet curls between her sister’s legs. The combination of being teased two ways at once had Lightning growling through gritted teeth and hoping that her sister and Snow were not so cruel as to make her beg...  
  
Finally Serah parted soft hair and flesh to stroke Lightning’s drenched cunt. The sensation was so long anticipated that Lightning acted on instinct, bucking her hips upward with one hand wrapped the back of Snow’s neck for support. As Serah stroked her, those delicate, familiar fingers touching her exactly as she liked, Lightning felt her control loosening. Already her hips were moving on their own. Her eyes squeezed closed and she buried her face as much as she could against the hollow of Snow’s throat. What would happen to her once---  
  
Then the question was answered as Serah pushed one finger inside her sister. Lightning moaned and nearly came right then. She was embarrassed about being so sensitive...but it had been well over five centuries since the last time she was touched. Far too long, really.  
  
“You’re so wet, sis,” Serah said, disbelief evident in her voice. “I’ve never seen you like this.”  
  
“I...” Lightning began, but there was no hope of defending herself. So she dropped it and let herself writhe against Snow as Serah pushed in and out of her.  
  
“I think you’re ready,” Serah declared. Lightning’s eyes snapped open.  
  
“So,” Snow began, his voice so near to Lightning that it startled her. “What’s it gonna be, Light? You want this?” To clarify, her held hand and guided it downward against his achingly hard length. She was right, Snow was quite large and so wide....  
  
Lightning thought about it for only a second before she realized that she had no more hesitations.  
  
“Let’s do this then.” Lightning tried to make herself sound relatively indifferent but that was clearly a ruse.  
  
Snow chuckled once, happy that Lightning was still herself even when she was almost unbearably aroused. He and Serah moved her down onto her back, Snow hovering over her on his knees. From this angle, Snow on top of her smiling down, Lightning found it hard to believe for a moment that they had ever managed to come to this. Yet, so many impossible things had happened, why not this too?  
  
Serah pulled Lightning’s legs apart (when had her sister become so forward?) and Snow settled himself downward, resting on his forearms. Lightning knew she wanted this man, and she let herself feel that. In fact she wanted to hurry him along, but Snow could not be hurried. He put his hand against her wetness, feeling her outline for himself, and made a low groan in response.  
  
“I’ve wanted this too, you know,” Snow said, leaning down. “For a long time.”  
  
“I know,” Lightning responded quietly.  
  
Without any more delay, Snow pushed inside Lightning. He took his time, gave her some moments to adjust to him, and eventually he was all the way inside, pressed right up against her with a rumbling sigh.  
  
He felt...yes. Lightning’s cunt twitched pleasurably as she felt filled to the brim with Snow Villiers. Now that they were connected like this, she felt like she finally understood him for who he was. This was him.  
  
Lightning put both hands on Snow’s face and forced him to look at her. “Keep your eyes on me,” she said. “Keep your eyes on me when you fuck me. I want to see you.”  
  
Snow smiled and said, “If that’s what you want.” Then he began pushing in and out of her at a slow but steady pace. Lightning found that his length pressed against all the internal parts of her that longed for contact and she had to focus on breathing so as not to lose herself in the pleasure.  
  
“It’s alright, Claire,” Serah said, somewhere near her head. “Just let it all happen.” Looking up, Lightning realized that Serah was kneeling above her on the bed, with Snow’s hand pressed inside her, rubbing her clit at the same time.  
  
There was no reason for it, but Lightning felt jealous in that second. This was not how she would let this happen, not if she could help it.  
  
In a flurry of movement, Lightning pushed Snow down onto his back, effectively reversing their positions. She straddled his hips and continued to ride him.  
  
“Come here, Serah,” Lightning called. She wanted her sister in her arms more than anything.  
  
Realizing what Lightning was thinking, Serah pressed her body into Lightning’s arms. She looked down at Snow who was grinning with apparent pleasure and eagerness.  
  
“Take a seat, baby,” Snow called. The three of them smiled. This was the best way they could all be together.  
  
Serah made her way over to Snow and sat on his face, one leg on either side of his head. His tongue curled upwards, licking all the places along her twitching cunt that wanted nothing more than Snow’s skilled tongue to lavish her with attention.  
  
And so, Snow lay flat on his back, Lighting riding his ample cock near to completion, Serah riding his face in overwhelmed pleasure, the two sisters wrapped in each other’s arms sharing intimate and much longed for kisses. In this way, they all found release around the same time.  
  
It was a moment that made Lightning remember her first time with Serah, all the world covered in crystal. But this time, Lightning did not want a crystal slumber to envelop them and shield them from the world. This time, Lightning wanted their flesh to remain supple and real, so that they could go on sharing a life like human beings. That was her deepest wish in that moment, for it all to be real.  
  
And of course, it was real. So real. Afterward, the three of them lay in each other’s arms, panting and thinking about what had transpired. Serah was more than pleased with how things had turned out, and Snow could not believe that he had gotten the chance to have both Farron sisters ride him at the same time. It was probably the closest he would get to heaven these days. As for Lightning, she was struggling with the realization that she had gotten what she actually wanted. She laced her fingers together with Serah’s and turned contemplative.  
  
“Well, glad you could spend the night, Light,” Snow said, pulling Lightning closer to him and shattering the moment. “Now that I’ve got my two ladies here, everything’s perfect.”  
  
“Perfect, Snow?” Serah asked.  
  
“Yeah, what more could a guy want?”  
  
Serah looked over at Lightning. Claire was no longer the cold, domineering sister Serah remembered. But she could not say she minded. Here was Lightning, wrapped in a man’s arms--Snow’s no less--and enjoying the comfort. It was...beautiful. More beautiful than anything Serah had words for.  
  
“You’re right, Snow,” Lightning said. She curled up closer to him and beckoned for Serah to curl up as well.  
  
“I’ll...stay the night again, sometime.” It was more than a promise.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
  
The wedding came in a day’s time. It went off without a hitch. People came, good times were had by all, especially Serah and Snow.  
  
Throughout the ceremony, Lightning kept her place in the procession and did everything she was supposed to. She gave a good speech and tried not to think of anything but how beautiful Serah looked in her wedding dress, and how striking Snow looked in a well-fitted sports jacket.  
  
It was the day Serah and Snow had wanted all along. And it was the wedding night that Lightning had dreamed of for years.  
  
  
  
  
  
The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading about this marvelous OT3. I have to say the Serah/Lightning ship really jumped out at me because it is ALL OVER those games! Besides, Snow is just the guy to appreciate our lovely heroines for who they are, and that's why I ship it like it's canon :)
> 
> Happy Square Enix to all!


End file.
